HEY World!
Are you itching to become an entrepreneur or an entrepreneur wanting to go back to the corporate world?
How about I tell you my story with pros and cons, and you choose which one you relate with.
I have 26 years of experience under my belt, and I’m 45 years young this year. I worked for 11 years in two Fortune 500 companies and 15 years broken down into 10 years of entrepreneurship and 5 years in sales.
I left Ecuador, my hometown, when I was 18, bound for Boston. Just right out of high school and in a new country without any knowledge of English. I left a privileged life that many of us wish we could have here, yet I was young, immature, and stubborn, wanting to make it in America.
I started out as an apprentice plumber. It was the best opportunity I could have at the time, knowing that I spoke very little English. However, it took that job opportunity to open up my eyes to what it was in front of me if I really pursued the ambition to find the next best job. All I had to do was to enroll in any school and learn English.
As I was learning English, I continued applying for new job opportunities. Within a year of working as an apprentice plumber/landscaper/busboy, I found my first dream job with Putnam Investments. When there were not many bilingual phone representatives available, I worked my way into learning every new opportunity I could have a handle on to advance my career within the company. I invested eight years with this great company. Not only did I manage 60 employees within the Call Center, but I also got to travel the entire United States educating people on their way to save for retirement.
By now, I felt I was financially independent, with a steady corporate job and a fabulous career ahead of me. Yet I felt lonely, I began to miss my family in Ecuador, and I longed for new friends in a new place. I wish I had an inner voice back then that would have convinced me to remain employed and not leave yet. But I did. I was burnt out; I gave my two-week notice and didn’t look back.
When you are single, and you don’t have any dependents, the world is open for you to explore any adventure or entrepreneurial dream you may have. This was my case when I left Putnam. I thought I could conquer the world knowing that I had enough reserves, investments, and all the time in the world to figure out what I wanted to do next. Here was the first problem, I didn’t know, or I didn’t plan what to do next.
Ensure you have a plan even if you start out small, but don’t go out in the open thinking you can tackle the world by simple luck.
When you don’t have a plan, you end up being guided by the direction where the wind takes you, rather than setting your own sail to go. I ended up spending over three years in the mortgage business but counting the days to do something else.
After that short time in mortgages, I finally decided to plan for myself and become the entrepreneur I knew I had in me. This time, however, the timing was against me.
You work through your mistakes to only make you stronger, wiser.